Anyone bothered by "Media Day" on 2/9?

[tjkraz]

The location of the telephone operators is irrelevant, IMO, as is the manner in which they hold themselves out to guests. Their job is to take those "front desk" phone calls and either help the guest or put them in contact with a person who can help.

There are entire corporations which are run via telecommuting these days. As long as the communications infrastructure is in place, the experience for the caller should be seamless.

That said, I wholeheartedly agree that Disney needs to fix the communications. Far too often there are reports of messages not getting to the proper parties. THAT is the problem and it's where Disney needs to focus its energies. I really don't care if the person who answers the "front desk" call is in Timbuktu as long as he/she is friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and (in my case) English-speaking.

What I do NOT want to see is the calls re-routed to the actual resort front desk. I do not want to hear the decibel level in Disney resort lobbies increase due the disturbances from ringing phones and a dozen additional conversations between Cast Members and guests calling down.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Why is it thought that calling the front desk will mean ringing phones out front and lobby noise? Motel 8's may have that - or a little 16 room hotel I worked at - but all large hotels have areas in the back and that is where calls are directed - not to clerks that are currently assigned to checking in guests.

IF the call center actually worked then that's great. I never would even ask if the person I was speaking to was located at the hotel and they wouldn't have to lie. But when the recommendation heard is always to walk to the front desk to have your problem addressed b/c your call will go to another location and nothing will happen then there's a problem with guest service. That's why telephones were invented - so you didn't have to walk everywhere to talk to people! This is a common complaint with call centers and just because it's become the norm doesn't, IMO, mean it's the process to stay with. As a manager at one of the resorts I wouldn't be pleased about having it but maybe that's just me.

Of course another possibility is it's become a good scapegoat.

 

[cp_princess]

OK the only way they can be replacing the front desk employees with cheaper call center employees is if the call center is located outside of the US. I feel confident saying that because I have worked front desk at Disney and at a call center for a different Orlando based company and was paid almost double at the call center then I was doing front desk. Now it has been a few years since I worked there, but they do in fact have office spaces back stage behind front desks. However the employees back there, if I remember correctly, were kept pretty busy. I do remember them taking resort calls though, but I don't know if it was all calls or just rerouted calls.

That said I think considering the DVC resort guest base I don't think the front desks at those resorts would be slammed with easy to answer questions. The fact is that so many of us are planners, or know general Disney question answers or where to find them - for instance what park hours or bus hours are - that I doubt the desks at those resorts would have a high call volume for anything other then resort issues. That said I would think that since DVC is alway trying to get members to add on points they would want to ensure that we had superior customer service at their resorts and it sounds like in regards to front desk calls that may not be happening. Now at the other Disney resorts that may not be the case because you have more casual Disney travelers. Since BLT is part of both DVC but also uses the Contemporary front desk, as do some of the other DVC resorts, I'm not sure how they could handle this.

So since we know they have the back stage space available, and honestly they don't pay their new hire front desk employees at a high rate (at least not as of the early part of the last decade) I wouldn't think it would be overly expensive for them to keep calls within the resorts. And in fact it might make them more money because happy customers are likely to add on, and spend more money while there. JMO

 

[tjkraz]

Why is it thought that calling the front desk will mean ringing phones out front and lobby noise? Motel 8's may have that - or a little 16 room hotel I worked at - but all large hotels have areas in the back and that is where calls are directed - not to clerks that are currently assigned to checking in guests.

But then you're not really reaching the "front desk" under those conditions either, are you?

Seriously, though, there are many additional challenges to running 24 separate call centers rather than one. Each resort would need to allocate space for a phone bank, and I doubt that there is space currently sitting unused which could be converted to a call center.

Operationally there are staffing issues which arise when you try to compartmentalize the function. Let's say that statistics show 2 operators are needed per resort from 9-10pm. With a single call center, you have 48 workers scheduled to work during that block.

If 5 BoardWalk guests dial the "front desk" at approximately the same time, the two operators working in the back room are quickly backlogged. Guests hit voice mail or go into an electronic queue.

But with 48 people staffing a call center, all of the inquiries can be immediately addressed. It's about sharing capacity between resorts and reducing costs in the process--costs which are paid by DVC members.

With small call centers you also have issues with people calling off sick or no-shows, having proper coverage during meal times and breaks, and so on. If one of your 48 call center staffers calls off sick or needs a break...no problem. If one of your TWO BoardWalk staffers is sick or due for a break...you have a major gap in service.

I spent many years in a management position with a company that had a sizable call center. The call center concept is not inherently flawed--but you do need to have proper resources to support the call center. THAT is where Disney appears to have some holes to be filled.

Many inquiries are probably handled quickly and easily. The last time I called the "front desk" was when a SSR CM wrote the wrong room number on our resort map. The room number we were given didn't exist. I used the house phone at the building entrance to call, and after confirming my identity they had no problem giving me the correct room number.

While I'm not questioning the occasional communications issue, there are times I wonder if it isn't the resort staff who uses the call center as a scapegoat by issuing the "I never got the message" response. Who's to say whether the call center is at fault for not sending the message, or the resort staff for not taking steps to receive the message.

Nevertheless, the results are what matter and I wholeheartedly agree that we should demand high-quality service. But I'm not going to tell Disney how to provide the service. We pay them to make those decisions.

 

[Sammie]

Yes, but it's extra personnel at the resort to deal more effectively with problems and provide greater guest service or extra personnel at some other site and unhappy guests that have problems they repeatedly have to follow up on. I'd say that fact the the call center people do not admit that they are not on site is a good indicator that the current set up is less than ideal.

Totally agree, my comment was why they did it, not that I support the decision.

Personally I have no problem with calls that come from outside the resort going to the call center. However I do think once you check in and use the phone in the room, you should be connected to someone at the actual resort.

I truly do not understand why this is not possible.

 

[dcfromva]

What I do NOT want to see is the calls re-routed to the actual resort front desk. I do not want to hear the decibel level in Disney resort lobbies increase due the disturbances from ringing phones and a dozen additional conversations between Cast Members and guests calling down.

I think the term "front desk" is misleading. I don't think calls were ever actually routed to the "front desk" (ie folks standing at the front desk) personel at WDW hotels like they are at your typical chain hotel where the front desk handles pretty much everything.... They do have a back room area behind the front desk with folks.

We had an issue at BLT (5-9 FEB visit) where the safe in our room was already locked. I called engineering at around noon and was told there were 3 calls ahead of me (same issue) and I didn't need to be in the room for them to fix it. We went out and came back several hours later and no one had opened the safe. We called again and the person taking the call said she had no record of the problem being previously reported....

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

But then you're not really reaching the "front desk" under those conditions either, are you?

LOL - But they could at least walk out to the desk and pick up the line if they needed to technically satisfy!